About Jeff & Ohio Landscape Photography
Helping executives and homeowners beautify their offices and spaces with stunning photography celebrating nature and their hometown.
I'm Jeff Smith. After 24 years of flying for the USAF, I retired as a Colonel and call the Miami Valley home once more. Now, I chase sunsets and capture pretty landmarks throughout the Midwest. I enjoy selling fine art prints to people wanting to adorn their walls with artwork that excites the viewer and becomes a talking point to their guests.
Artist Biography (as a poem)
My name is Jeff Smith, a common name is mine
Which is why I branded, as Art of Frozen Time
I finished Wright State, with a degree studying rocks
Flew for the Air Force, avoiding those mountainous blocks
I strive for perfection, mistakes I must not make
My wife and daughters, laugh with a different take
I drive an old truck, it generally runs fine
But there are those days, the tow trucks must align
I love chasing sunsets, and peaceful twilights too
Those colors excite me, those reds, yellows and blues
My photography caters, to Evidence-based design
By giving the sick, a peaceful state of mind
As Golden hour arrives, I aim towards the light
I counter the glare, keeping my aperture tight
This light diffraction creates, a heavenly sun star
So today my prints hold, this signature avatar
Some vistas are grand, as the sun sinks in the skies
Ninety exposures it takes, as the shutter count flies
Back home on the computer, I pray that I got it right
I merge the many images, revealing a panoramic sight
As the end of day approaches, the parks become seclude
I watch the sky ignite, creating a peaceful solitude
I believe it’s my calling, these moments in their prime
Sharing the awe & wonder, …the Art of Frozen Time
Artist Statement
For me, the most intriguing light comes at the end of the day…as a result, I love chasing sunsets! The interaction of the low-angled sun and high-level clouds produce brief but amazing colors. The conditions which produce these scenes are infrequent and pass quickly when they do occur. In fact, on most days, they don’t happen at all. Often, an over-the-horizon cloud blocks the sunlight from painting the skies in warm colors. On other days, I’ll find clouds perfectly poised to being lit from underneath, right before they suddenly evaporate from view. Despite the trials and tribulations, the thrill comes from the fleeting moments when it all comes together...where patience, anticipation and preparation produce stunning scenes which evoke awe and excitement!
if I’m lucky enough to catch favorable light, I prefer the contre-jour technique of pointing my lens into the light. Given the extreme contrast between dimmer, golden-hour foregrounds and the still very bright sun and underlit clouds, the exposures become more unforgiving. I mitigate these effects through bracketing. Coupled with the bracketing, some vistas beg for a panoramic composition that entails capturing a series of exposures that sweep across the horizon.
The parks and vistas I shoot are often void of visitors during these hours leaving me to ponder if I was the only one witnessing the spectacle. In creating these images, it's hard not to experience a sense of awe and wonder, thus I find my calling in sharing these decisive moments.
